Red Hiking Trail - 2.29 miles
Orange Hiking Trail - 1.45 miles
The ecological communities found along the Red/Orange Trail are diverse.  At the beginning of the trail, you will see a hardwood hammock which includes large oaks, hickories, and magnolias.  Further along the trail is a sandhill habitat composed of longleaf pine, sand pine, turkey oak, and sand live oak with an under story of palmetto and wiregrass.  This habitat is imperiled throughout Florida and few remnants of this ecologically diverse community remain.  Another community found along the trail is the oak scrub community.  This habitat type is of special conservation importance and is one of the most imperiled in the State of Florida.

Two observation decks allow visitors beautiful views of Pellicer Creek and of a freshwater wetland area.  This wetland area is the largest body of freshwater on the preserve.  You might see wood storks, little blue herons, great blue herons or egrets as well as deer and alligators.

All five species of pine native to North Florida grow along the Red/Orange Trail.  These are longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), lobloly pine (Pinus taeda), pond pine (Pinus serotina), and sand pine (Pinus clausa).

Green Hiking Trail - 0.67 miles
The Green Trail is unique because of the variety of habitats in this area. An abundance of saw palmettos grow under a variety of oaks covered with Spanish moss and resurrection fern. At one point in the trail, a stand of beautiful red maples and perhaps the oldest slash pines on the preserve are found. 

When walking down the trail, stay alert or you may miss wild hogs running through the woods or a pileated woodpecker overhead. If you are very quiet, as you approach the fresh water wetland, known as "The Rookery", you may see many wonderful birds and enjoy their majestic flights over the area.

Lewis Wadsworth, who bought the preserve from Princess Scherbatow, developed the frest water wetland from a swamp. He created an artesian fed fountain that keeps the water from becoming stagnant. Sit quietly on the bench by the fountain and you may observe egrets, cormorants, anhingas and herons resting on the wooden perch. If you're lucky, an eagle may fly overhead, or wood storks may cover the tops of pine trees. The "Rookery" is home to a great variety of birds and it is fun to identify as many as you can.

Previous Trails